swayze



(Mode-21.) 2 Sheets-Sheen 1.

S. J. SWAYZE 80 J. 0. LANE.

RAILROAD TIME SIGNAL.

No. 286,156. Patented Oct. 2, 1883.

IN BNTOR:

. WITNESSES:

ATTGRNEYS.

(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2;

S. J. SWAYZB & J. 0. LANE. RAILROAD TIME SIGNAL. No. 286,156. Patented Oct. 2, 1883.

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IN ESES: Q ,i I /%(/wwuy/V BY W V ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Fholo-Lllhognphor. Washinglan. ac.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN J. S\VAYZE AND JOHN LANE, OF SAG HARBOR, NEXV YORK.

RAILROAD TIM E-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,156, dated October 2, 1883..

Application filed April 7, 1583. (Model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, STEPHEN J. SwAYzn and JOHN 0. LANE, of Sag Harbor, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Railroad-Signal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view,- showing the rela tive positions of the signal, signal-inclosure, and operating-lever with the railroad-track. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 00 w of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

The object of this invention is to provide a signal adapted to be automatically set by the tread or flange of the wheel of the locomotive or car, or any device attached to the engine or :ar, and to automatically and gradually recede into itsinclosure in a given length of time; and to this end the invention c0nsists,principally, of a signalboard placed in a suitable housing and provided with a rack, in combination with clock or other retarding mechanism, an interchangeable fan, and a bent lever arranged for raising the signal. from the weight of the locomotive or car, or attachment to the locomotive or car for depressing said lever, the retarding mechanism being for the purpose of locking the signal when elevated and permitting it to gradually recede into its inclosure.

The invention also consists of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the housing orinclosure, in the slot a of which the signalboard I) is held. The edges of the signal-board B are held in the grooves c 0, formed in the side plates, v3 17, of the clock mechanism 1), and the board is provided upon one side with the shield c, for concealing one side of the signal-lamp (J when the board 13 is down, and revealing it when set, the board B serving to conceal and reveal the lamp from the other side, and upon the side of the board B opposite the side to which the shield c is attached the board is provided with the rack d, which runs in contact with the wheel f of the said clock mechanism D. The lower end of the signal-board B is connected with the inner end of the operating-lever E by the connecting-rod g, which has the weight g formed upon or attached to it. The operating-lever E is bent,as shown in Fig. 1, and is held by the keepers j 7' upon the tie F, with its upwardly-curvcd end,

h, near the rail G, which is nearest the inclosme A. Normally that is, when the signalboard is down-the curved end 71 of the operating-lever stands slightly above the head of the rail G, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the wheels of the locomotives or cars,or device attached to thelocomotive or car,in passing along the traclgwill depress end 71, which will cause theopposite end ofthe lever to be raised,whi ch, being connected with the signal-board B, will elevate it to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.- 2, in which position it will be caught by the wheel f of the clock mechanism, which wheel is free to turn with its shaft Z in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2; but by means of the ratchet Ir, secured to the shaft 1,

and the pawl I, pivoted to the wheel j", that is loose on the shaft Z, 'wh'eel f is prevented from turning back, except as permitted by the clock mechanism, which is connected in the ordinary way with the said wheel f.

- \Vhile the train stands on the track near the signal-that is, over the curved end h of the lever Ethe signal-board will be held elevated by the weight of the locomotive, or by the weight of one of the cars if one of the wheels of the locomotive or one of the wheels of one of the trucks of the cars in thetrain happen to stop upon the curved end 71.. If not, the locomotive, at least, having passed the curved end 71 of the lever E and elevated the signalboard B, and there being no weight upon. the curved end 71, it being between some of the wheels or trucks, the signal-board will begin to descend; but as soon as the train moves on it will be seen that the signal-board B will be finally reset to its full height by the passage of the last wheel of the last ear inthe train over the bent end 71. The last wheel in the last car in the train having passed the bent end h, the weight of the signal-board B, lever E, and weight y will. come upon the clock mechanism, which will permit them to gradually drop to their original position, withdrawing the signal- 2 I I I 286,156 i board B within the housing A, indicating to the next oncoming train a clear track. The time within which the signal-board will drop from its elevated to its lowest position is regulated by the fan m of the clock mechanism, and the time may be increased or diminished by using a larger or smaller fan, as circumstances require.

H represents a slotted bell-crank lever, at tached by a pin passing through the slot to the operating-lever E, and H is a segmental plate perforated for the passage of a pin, by which the'station-mastermay set the signal-board B by hand and lock it in that position, so that he may stop and hold trains as with an ordinary signal.

At night the lamp 0 will be lighted, which will give the signal through the glasses p p, set in the housing A, the shield c and signal-board revealing and concealing the lamp as the sig nal-b0ard B is raised or lowered, as will be understood from Fig. 2. i

f Constructed in this manner, it will be seen that the signal is perfectly automatic and is practical for its purpose, and is perfectly reliable at all times, and that by means of the clock mechanism and fan in the period of re cession of the signal-board may be increased or diminished, so the signal is adapted for any purpose 011 a railroad where a signal of danger or caution is required, or in place of a flagman as a means of stoppingtrains or engines for any purpose whatever, my improvement acting to run trains on a block system.

The signal-board may be subdivided by means of paint, so that the following train may know how long since the preceding train has passed the signal, provided that it has not gone longer than the time required for the board to recede into the housing and the lever E and connections may be boxed to protect them, andthe bell-crank lever H may be extended to any distance from the lever E by proper devices or connections, so that the signal may be set by ab operator or agent from within his office; and in practice the lever E and its connections will be boxed to prevent all tampering therewith and for protection from the weather.

'with the signal-board B, having rack 01, con

necting-rod g, and the bent operatinglever E, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. I

: STEPHEN J. SWAYZE.

JOHN C. LANE.

Witnesses:

HIRAM L. ToPPrNG, J OIIN L. SHERWOOD. 

